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. 2006 Mar;27(3):656-60.

Diffusion alterations in corpus callosum of patients with HIV

Y Wu  1 , P Storey, B A Cohen, L G Epstein, R R Edelman, A B Ragin
Affiliations

Diffusion alterations in corpus callosum of patients with HIV

Y Wu et al. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2006 Mar.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Diffusion alterations have been identified in the corpus callosum and frontal white matter of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), though the relevance of these findings to cognitive deterioration has not yet been determined. This study tested the hypothesis that diffusion tensor imaging can detect tissue status alterations in these regions in cognitively impaired patients infected with HIV and the acquired measurements correlate with the severity of cognitive impairment.

Methods: Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were determined for corpus callosum (genu and splenium) and frontal white matter (FWM). The DTI measurements were compared in 11 HIV and 11 control participants. Patterns of relationship were examined with cognitive status measures from concurrent neurologic and neuropsychologic evaluations.

Results: FA values for the splenium were significantly reduced in the patients infected with HIV and correlated with dementia severity and deficits in motor speed. MD values for the splenium were significantly increased in the patients infected with HIV and correlated with deficits in motor speed. FA measurements were also significantly correlated with performance on visual memory (genu), visuoconstruction (FWM), and verbal memory (FWM) tasks.

Conclusion: Diffusion abnormalities were identified in the splenium of the corpus callosum in patients infected with HIV, and these alterations were associated with dementia severity and motor speed losses. In vivo assessment of callosal integrity by using quantitative neuroimaging may have potential utility as a marker of brain injury in patients infected with HIV.

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Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
Uniform-sized regions of interest were placed on anatomic T2-weighted image (left) and then projected to FA (middle) and MD (right) maps.
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
Means and SDs of functional anisotropy (FA) measurements. *P < .05.
Fig 3.
Fig 3.
Means and SD of mean diffusivity (MD) measurements. MD is expressed in units of 10−4 mm2/sec *P < .05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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